A Certain Point of View
by McKennaC
Summary: When Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn lands on Tatooine during the Naboo Crisis, looking for a part to fix the Queen's ship, he meets two brothers, slaves, in a junk shop. To Jinn's shock, the older brother is very familiar. The Jedi wants to reunite the lost boy with his old life, but Obi-Wan sees the galaxy a little differently now, and he isn't interested in going back.
1. Chapter 1

A/N **So, hello. I came up with this idea while I was bored and daydreaming, so I hope it is as entertaining to other people as it is to me.**

 **Basically, this is what would happen if Obi-Wan had been raised as a Skywalker, alongside Anakin.**

 **I've changed the age gap between Obi-Wan and Anakin, so I realize that** **it** **i** **s** **different.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars in any way, shape, or form. (Accept the novelizations and a toy lightsaber, I do own those.)**

Qui-Gon blinked in the bright light of the two Tatooine suns. He was relieved to find that they were arriving at the junk shop that the Force had been leading him to. Despite his slight impatience, he kept his stride short enough so that he would not mistakenly leave any of his companions behind.

He gently ushered the young queen disguised as a hand-maiden, Padme, into the cooler interior of the shop and nodded at Artoo Detoo as the astromech droid passed him. He resisted the temptation to roll his eyes at Jar Jar as the clumsy Gungan trailed behind, wiping one foot on the ground with every other step and muttering something about goo. Blinking a few times to allow his eyes to adjust to the shadowed room, Qui-Gon took in his surroundings.

It looked like any of a million junk shops spread throughout the galaxy. Odds and ends lay scattered about, with a few working droids milling about and a few others laying in pieces and mixed with ship parts of all kinds spread out over every available flat surface. The only sentient he could see was a little human boy who was sitting on the counter. He looked to be in the middle of cleaning and reassembling one of the broken droids, but had paused to look up at their entrance. He eyed them curiously for a moment before calling out the open back door in Huttese.

An irritable voice called back in the same language, after which the boy nodded and gave what Qui-Gon gathered was a short agreement before turning back to them. "Watto's busy right now, but he'll be in here soon. Go ahead and look around while you wait."

Despite knowing that there was nothing of use to him on the shelves, Qui-Gon nodded. It clearly wasn't the boy's fault that they would have to wait. "Thank you, young one." He bowed slightly, making the boy giggle in surprise. He turned to look at the parts on display, keeping one wary eye on Jar Jar.

"Are you an angel?" he heard to boy ask suddenly, making Qui-Gon have to stifle a grin.

"A what?" Padme asked in surprised amusement.

"An angel. I heard the deep space pilots talk about them. They're the most beautiful things in the universe. They live on the Moons of Iego, I think."

"You're a funny little boy."

Qui-Gon missed some of their conversation as he had to stop Jar Jar from knocking over an entire shelf of scrap metal. Once the Gungan was safely banished to an area with a smaller potential for calamity, Qui-Gon tuned back in to the young ones' conversation.

"How long have you worked here?" Padme asked. Qui-Gon was sure it was meant to be an innocent question, but if his suspicions about the boy's situation was correct, it was about to open a very uncomfortable topic.

"Since I was very little," the child answered guilelessly. "Three, I think. My mother, brother and I were sold to Gardulla the Hutt, but she lost us betting on the pod races."

Padme looked horrified. "You're a slave?!"

The child frowned, clearly offended by her outburst. "I'm a _person_ and my name is Anakin."

As the young girl promptly apologized and assured him that she meant no offense, an annoyed looking Toydarian flew in from the back. "Yes, yes, what do you want?" he asked in heavily accented Basic.

Once Qui-Gon had explained what part he needed. The Toydarian nodded curtly. "Yes, we have that. You're lucky you came here, we're the only ones in Mos Espa who would." He turned to Anakin, and his expression almost seemed to soften. "Get those shelves dusted off, and you and your brother can go home after this sale is done."

 _"_ _Yippee!"_ the little boy called cheerfully, hopping off of the counter and grabbing a dust rag. Qui-Gon could hear him continuing to chat with Padme as the Toydarian lead him out into the yard.

"Boy!" he called gruffly. "Get over here!"

"Yes, Watto?" A young man replied from the far side of the yard, wiping his hands on a greasy rag as he jogged over to the older beings, dodging around piles of spare parts and scrap metal. Qui-Gon regarded him curiously, realizing that he must be the brother that Anakin had mentioned.

Something about the boy seemed oddly familiar to Qui-Gon, although he couldn't fathom why. He'd never been to Tatooine before, and rarely had reason to come to the Outer Rim. There was no way he could think of that he could have encountered the young slave before. But something in the Force seemed to be insisting that he did know the young man, so he obediently studied him closely.

He was roughly a decade older than his younger brother, his hair sun bleached and cut in the same floppy style, though it was redder than Anakin's straight blond. His eyes were as blue as his brother's, framed in a heavily freckled face.

The boy eyed Qui-Gon curiously for a moment before turning to his master. "What do you need, Watto?"

Qui-Gon started to answer, but Watto cut him off. "Before we get into that, let's discuss payment, shall we?"

Qui-Gon was careful not to show his sudden nervousness. "Of course, I believe Republic Credits should be sufficient."

Watto's face twisted and the slave boy looked amused. "Republic Credits?" he spat. "Those are no good here! Either get something worth trading, or forget about your precious ship parts."

Qui-Gon sighed as Watto flew away. It was just his luck that the only junk shop that had what he needed was run by a Toydarian- one of the few races with a natural immunity to Force suggestions. The young man gave him a sympathetic look before nodding politely and returning to the work that Qui-Gon's presence had interrupted.

Qui-Gon felt quite discouraged as he collected his companions and left the shop, hearing Padme call a farewell to Anakin. He took a deep breath and called upon the Force to calm himself. The Force would provide a way, he reminded himself sternly. He just had to be ready and willing to follow as it lead.

Apparently, the Force found Jar Jar just as annoying as Sentient beings did, because that guidance came at his expense. By the time Qui-Gon had noticed the angry Dug looming over the hapless Gungan, little Anakin had stepped in and defused the situation before it could turn violent. As Qui-Gon unfortunately didn't speak Huttese, he had no idea what the child said, but the Dug slunk off with nothing more than a dirty look.

"Hey," Anakin greeted his new acquaintances. "Your buddy here was about to be turned into orange goo. He picked a fight with a Dug, an especially dangerous Dug called Sebulba."

Qui-Gon smiled at the boy, ignoring Jar Jar's sputtering. "It's good that you were here to help him, Anakin." The Force seemed to be pointing him in the direction of this child and his brother. Now it was Qui-Gon's job to figure out why.

"Ani." Speaking of the brother, the red headed teenager had just arrived, putting his hand on his younger brother's shoulder and pulling him slightly away from the group of strangers. "Jira says there's a sand storm brewing, little brother. We need to get home before it hits if we want to avoid scaring Mom half to death."

The small boy nodded. "Yeah, you're right." He turned to Padme. "Do you have shelter?"

Padme smiled at him. "Our ship isn't too far away from here."

"Well where is it?" Anakin asked.

"Just a few minutes out of town."

Anakin frowned. "You'll never make it to the Outskirts in time. Sand storms are very _very_ dangerous. You come to our house to wait it out, if you want."

Qui-Gon opened his mouth to protest, but the older brother nodded. "Anakin is right. If you try to make it to your ship now, you'll be caught in the storm and most likely killed. You will be safe with us, and our mother will not charge you for shelter like most would."

"Well," Qui-Gon gave in, "it does sound like our best option. Lead the way, gentlemen."

The storm was definitely starting up by the time the two boys lead the group to their small slave quarters. They quickly ducked inside to escape from the stinging grains of sand. Once the door was safely sealed behind them, the two boys paused briefly in the entryway to dust the sand off their clothes and out of their hair. As Qui-Gon and Padme copied their actions, Anakin and the older boy entered the main area.

"Mom!" Anakin called. "Mom, we're home!"

A woman appeared from what seemed to be the kitchen, her loving smile clouding slightly in confusion as she caught sight of the strangers in her home.

"Obi, Ani, who are these people?" she questioned. Her voice was soft and pleasant, her face lovely if somewhat careworn from years of hardship. Her dark hair and eyes didn't match that of either of her sons.

"These are my new friends, Mom. They needed a place to wait out the storm," Anakin explained. Qui-Gon noticed that she glanced at her older son- Obi, she'd called him- and relaxed slightly when he nodded in agreement to his younger brother's explanation.

"I hope we aren't intruding, Madame," Qui-Gon apologized. "But your sons were kind enough to offer us shelter once they learned that we were in danger of being stranded in the storm."

The boys' mother smiled warmly at the somewhat bedraggled group. "And they were right to. Desert sand storms are vicious. They can easily kill anyone unfortunate enough to be out in them."

"Hey, Padme, do you wanna see the Droid I'm building?" Anakin offered suddenly, apparently growing board with the grown-ups' pleasantries.

The gentle girl allowed herself to be dragged off by the rambunctious little boy, and Artoo followed after them with a cheerful whirring sound. Obi and the boys' mother both gave fond smiles at the child's antics. Qui-Gon turned back to their hostess. "Thank you very much for offering us shelter, Madame. If the sand storms are truly as dangerous as you say, I'm very glad not to be out in it."

"It's no problem, really. I'm just happy to know I've raised them well enough that they are willing offer help to others," she returned, reaching up to fondly ruffle Obi's hair. The teenager rolled his eyes, but otherwise didn't protest his mother's display of affection. "Not many on this planet would, especially in the cities."

She shook her head suddenly, looking slightly embarrassed. "I'm sorry, in all the excitement, I seem to have forgotten my manners. My name is Shmi Skywalker."

Qui-Gon chuckled. "It's no matter, I seem to have forgotten as well. I am Qui-Gon Jinn. It's nice to meet you and your family."

Shmi didn't react outwardly, but Qui-Gon could feel a burst of recognition and unease run through the woman. His brow furrowed in confusion as she nodded at him. "It's nice to meet you as well, Mister Jinn. If you will make yourself and your friend comfortable out here, I will begin cooking dinner for us."

"I'll help you, Mom," Obi offered immediately. "We'll need more than usual with our unexpected guests."

Shmi smiled at him. "Thank you, Obi. That's very good of you."

Before the boy could follow his mother out of the room, Qui-Gon offered him his hand. He still couldn't shake the feeling that he should know the teenager, and he hoped to gain a bit more information about him. "I don't believe we were introduced either, young one. What's your name?"

The redhead sighed, looking strangely defeated, before taking the Jedi Master's hand. "My name is Obi-Wan, sir."

Qui-Gon felt as if he had been struck by lightning. " _Obi-Wan,"_ he whispered too softly for the boy to hear him. _That name,_ he thought in a daze. _But it can't be!_

Almost desperately, he reached out with the Force. He was immediately greeted with a Force signature that, though he had only known in passing, he had committed firmly to memory out of repentant grief. This was the boy who had been lost over a decade ago. The boy he had terribly wronged.

 _"_ _Obi-Wan Kenobi."_ Qui-Gon nearly choked on the name in his haste to get it out in the open, to get confirmation that his _kriffin' pride_ hadn't actually resulted in the death of an innocent child as he had thought for all those years.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No. My name is Skywalker. I have been a Skywalker for most of my life, and I have no intention of changing that now."

"But you were lost! Taken by pirates! Killed or, or ..." Qui-Gon trialed off, taken over by a sudden understanding.

Obi-Wan nodded, looking _amused_ of all things. "Sold into slavery," he finished with a disturbingly casual air. "Or had you forgotten my family's standing, Master Jinn?"

Qui-Gon was starting to feel a bit light-headed. He sat down heavily on the threadbare couch in the Skywalkers' sitting room and tried to release his emotions into the Force. When that proved impossible for the time being, he settled for a few deep breaths and a simple meditation exercise to calm himself.

"You remember me?" Qui-Gon questioned softly.

"Yes," Obi-Wan replied. "It's hard to forget the man who destroyed your childhood dreams." Despite the harsh words, Qui-Gon could detect no trace of bitterness in the young man. Qui-Gon's head fell forward, dragged down by a sense of guilt he thought he had banished years ago.

"I'm sorry, youngling," he said, the same words that he had whispered to an empty funeral pyre ten years ago. "I wronged you terribly. I am so sorry for all that you suffered because of me."

"Mister Qui-Gon hurt you, Obi?" Anakin's young voice broke in, sounding confused but still utterly indignant on the older boy's behalf. Padme stood silently next to him, but it was clear that she wanted an explanation as well.

The children had evidently heard the commotion and come back into the room to see what was going on. R2-D2 was just behind them, along with what looked like a pieced together protocol droid with no outer covering.

Obi-Wan smiled reassuringly at Anakin. "He didn't really _hurt_ me Ani. Yes, he did some things that lead to me being hurt, but that was a long time ago. It doesn't matter anymore."

Anakin didn't look very convinced, and neither did Padme. Jar Jar, for once, looked to be trying his absolute best not to make himself noticeable, sitting on a kitchen chair and not moving an inch. "But what did he do?" Anakin asked. He took a step away from Qui-Gon, and subsequently closer to Padme, and eyed the man with sudden distrust.

Before Qui-Gon could gather his thoughts, Obi-Wan spoke. "Anakin, do you remember the story I told you about my life before I met Mom?"

Padme looked utterly confused as Anakin tilted his head curiously. "You mean when you were owned by the Jedi?" he clarified.

Obi-Wan nodded. "Exactly. You remember how I ended up being sold?"

Anakin nodded thoughtfully for a few moments before his expression cleared in understanding. "Oh. He's _that_ man. I understand."

"Well _I_ don't." If Qui-Gon hadn't already figured out that Padme was the real Queen of Naboo, her tone right there would have given her away. It was very clearly that of someone who was well used to giving orders and having them obeyed in a timely manner. She looked to Obi-Wan, and her tone softened considerably as she addressed the young man. "You were a Jedi?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, much to Qui-Gon's confusion. "No, ma'am. I never made it that far. I was a Jedi Initiate as a young child, yes, but I was thrown out when I was Anakin's age."

"Thrown out?" Padme repeated incredulously. "What in the galaxy could a little boy do to be Expelled from the Jedi Order?"

"Obi-Wan didn't do anything!" Anakin piped up angrily. He gave Padme a betrayed look, like he couldn't believe she would accuse his big brother of doing something wrong. "It was those _sleemo_ Jedi! They're the ones who-"

"Easy, Ani," Obi-Wan soothed, walking over to his brother and scooping him up into his arms. "I'm sure Padme didn't mean it that way." He rested the little boy on his hip with the ease of long practice. Anakin immediately cuddled closer to Obi-Wan and rested his head on his shoulder, relaxing in his big brother's calming embrace.

"I certainly didn't mean anything bad about Obi-Wan, Ani," Padme agreed apologetically. "I'm just trying to understand. I can't believe the Jedi would throw out a child for any reason." She gave Qui-Gon a measuring look, searching for something the man couldn't identify. Evidently, he came up short, as she gave a frustrated huff before turning to the Skywalker brothers. "Would you be willing to explain what you are talking about, Obi-Wan? I'm afraid I am very confused."

"I think I would like to hear this story as well, Obi-Wan," Qui-Gon added a bit hesitantly. He felt he needed to know what exactly had happened to Obi-Wan. It had been his fault, after all. He needed to know of the consequences the poor boy had faced due to his actions.

Obi-Wan sighed and gave Shmi an apologetic look. "It looks like I won't be helping you prepare dinner after all, Mom."

Shmi smiled and kissed her older son on the forehead. "It's alright, Obi. Go ahead and tell your story. It's not often that you get a chance for closure, after all."

Obi-Wan frowned. "I don't understand, Mom. I've not been bothered by the past in years. Honestly, I rarely even think about it, aside from the bedtime stories I tell Anakin sometimes."

Shmi just smiled. "I didn't mean closure for you, my son." With that, the woman pressed a kiss to her younger son's hair as well and turned into the kitchen area to begin preparing the evening meal. Obi-Wan sighed and shifted Anakin on his hip, still looking rather baffled by his mother's odd statement.

"Well, I suppose we should take a seat, Milady," he told Padme with a smile. "It's a bit of a long story." He sat down on the couch beside Qui-Gon, arranging Anakin comfortably on his lap.

Qui-Gon, feeling a bit awkward, quickly stood up and offered his

seat to the young queen, grabbing a kitchen chair for himself. Shmi had given Jar Jar a bowl of crushed fruit and instructed him to pick out all of the small seeds, which was just simple and tedious enough to keep the Gungan occupied and out of trouble.

Obi-Wan took a calming breath, looking at the two strangers that he was about to share his life story with. Briefly, he wondered why he felt the need to give into their requests for answers, but felt that the Force wanted him to. Despite being a simple slave boy for the last ten years of his life, he still held onto a few-albeit _very few-_ of the Jedi teachings that were drilled into him as a young child, and following the will of the Force was one of them.

After all, doing so had been instrumental in keeping his family safe in the past. From knowing the best way to stay on Gardulla's good side and avoid extra beatings, to being in the right place at the right time to be randomly selected to fill the Hutt's gambling debt to Watto, who was a much kinder master.

So, nineteen-year-old Obi-Wan Skywalker took a calming breath, and began his story.

A/N **Well, there you go. This will probably be about two or three chapters, depending on how the editing turns out. I think I'm nearly finished with writing this, so, barring any unexpected rebellions by the characters, it should all be up within the next week or two.** **I hope.**

 **A** **nyway, reviews are always appreciated!**


	2. Chapter 2

_A/_ _N_ __ **Well, here's chapter two. I was going to make this a two-shot, but I figured you all would be happier if I gave you Obi-Wan's story now, rather than wait a week or so for me to finish the rest. So this chapter is a bit shorter, but it's here.**

 **A few details of this chapter are based on the** _ **Jedi Apprentice**_ **series, but only very loosely.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Star Wars or any of it's associated media.**

 _So, nineteen-year-old Obi-Wan Skywalker took a calming breath, and began his story._

"I assume you know the basics of Jedi beliefs, Padme?" Obi-Wan asked the younger teenager to start with.

Padme shrugged. "As much as any Republic educated being, I suppose."

"So you know that Force sensitive children are taken for training in infancy?" At the Nubian's nod, he continued. "As you might not know, a good deal of those babies will not grow up to be Jedi."

Qui-Gon couldn't help feeling a strange sense of embarrassment as the queen looked at him in surprise. But, as he couldn't deny the truth of that statement, he was forced to nod in confirmation.

"No. A lot of them-I'm not saying most, but it is a good number-will not be chosen as Padawans. As such, when they get too old they will be sent on to be farmers in what I seem to remember being called the Agri-Corps." He looked to Qui-Gon to see if he had gotten the term right. The Jedi Master nodded again.

"So, if a child gets to a certain age and is not picked, even through no fault of their own, they get their entire life's purpose ripped away from them and are thrown out like garbage?" Padme's voice remained completely level, but it was clear that she was furious at the very thought.

Qui-Gon waited for Obi-Wan to correct her harsh wording, but the boy nodded in agreement. "That's how it works," Obi-Wan confirmed. "You can probably see why the Jedi tend to keep that part of their Code quiet."

Qui-Gon was starting to feel very uncomfortable as he heard Obi-Wan speak about the Order. He didn't give any signs of anger, but the way he saw the Jedi seemed very unflattering. Qui-Gon suddenly recalled the way Anakin had phrased his summary of Obi-Wan's past. He hadn't said his brother 'was a Jedi' or even 'was part of the Order.' No, Anakin had said 'When he was _owned_ by the Jedi.'

And Obi-Wan had agreed. He had grouped the Jedi in with all of the beings who had treated the boy as property, nothing more than a possession.

"So," Padme continued, breaking into Qui-Gon's thoughts, "you were one of these children who were 'too old' to be kept?"

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No. The cut-off age to be claimed by a Master is thirteen. I was only nine."

Padme looked even more puzzled. "Then why-?" She broke off as Obi-Wan raised a calming hand, hugging Anakin at the same time. The little boy seemed to be close to breaking into the story to add his own commentary as he squirmed on his older brother's lap, still shooting cold looks at Qui-Gon as he did so. He was obviously familiar with Obi-Wan's story.

"I don't know the whole story myself," Obi-Wan admitted. "I was deemed unsuitable for training due to showing too much aggression, basically. They used bigger words, but as I was too young to know what they meant at the time, I've long since forgotten them."

"Too much aggression?" Padme sounded incredulous, and Qui-Gon couldn't blame her. "I may not know you well, but you hardly seem like the type to seek out a fight."

Obi-Wan shrugged. "I'm not, honestly. I tend to leave the fighting to Ani here," he teased, jostling his brother playfully.

"Hey!" Anakin protested hotly. "I don't fight _that_ much. And I don't start it!"

"Sure you don't, little brother." Obi-Wan's eyes were bright with humor as he teased Anakin. "You just have horribly bad luck and get pulled into conflicts through no fault of your own, of course."

Anakin pouted and hid his face in Obi-Wan's chest. The young man chuckled and pressed a soft kiss to his younger brother's hair. When he looked back to his audience, his blue eyes remained a fair bit lighter as he continued his story.

"You see," the redhead explained, "I actually did end up in a fair few disagreements as a young child. There was another boy in my age group, Bruck Chun, who was a terrible bully. He delighted in tormenting any and all children smaller then him, and had a specific hatred for me."

"Jedi do not hate," Qui-Gon protested on reflex.

The look Obi-Wan gave him was almost pitying. "You can force any title you want onto a child's head, Master Jinn, but you cannot change the fact that they are children. And as such, while they may learn to hide their deeper emotions in fear of adult punishment, as soon as they are on their own it will inevitably come out. If anything, that method makes the feelings stronger once they are unable to be held back any longer."

Qui-Gon wanted to argue, but held his tongue. Now was not the time to debate philosophy.

"Because of his grudge against me, Bruck often targeted my closest friends as well. Bant, Galen, and Reeft were their names. When I was nine, Bruck and two other children who tended to act on his will, whose names I have since forgotten, cornered Bant while she was leaving the Dining Hall. When I stumbled across them, Bant had a large bruise on her face and was crying while the three boys hurled taunts and insults at her.

"I attempted to get them away from Bant, and they attacked me. I tried to fight them off while Bant ran to get an adult. She came back with a certain Jedi Master." He gave Qui-Gon a significant look.

Padme turned to look at the large man. "You broke up the fight, Master Jinn?"

Qui-Gon nodded, feeling distinctly uncomfortable with the current tale. If it weren't for his desire to know what had happened afterward, he may have asked Obi-Wan to cease his telling.

"He broke up the fight, alright." Obi-Wan sounded far more amused than Qui-Gon thought appropriate for the events he recalled. "He yanked me out from under three boys by the scruff of my neck and immediately began telling my that my 'disgraceful behavior' would be punished accordingly as he dragged me off to the Masters' Council without giving the others so much as a stern look."

There was utter silence for almost a full minute as Padme processed that statement. Anakin was glaring angrily at Qui-Gon from his seat in Obi-Wan's lap. Even Shmi paused from her food preparation long enough to give the Jedi a cold look as she remembered the man's unfair treatment of her son.

"He … blamed you?" Padme asked, sounding almost as shocked as when Anakin had revealed that he was a slave. "And _only_ you?"

Qui-Gon hung his head in shame as Obi-Wan nodded. He still couldn't fathom what had come over him, to be so willfully unfair to a child who had done him no wrong other than simply existing. "Long story short, he insisted that I be sent on to Agri-Corps early. Frankly, I was too distraught to really take in what the Masters said. All I know is that, less than a week later, I was on a shuttle to some farming planet."

Obi-Wan sighed, looking bothered for the first time. "A short time into our journey, the ship was attacked by pirates. Luckily, I had the sense to hide the fact that I was a rejected Jedi Youngling, or things would likely be much worse for me. Force sensitive slaves catch a good price on the Market, but it tends to be a very unpleasant-and very short-existence."

"Wouldn't being worth more mean you would be more likely to be kept alive?" Padme asked, looking utterly disgusted with the galaxy at large for the way they were referring to sentient beings as if they were nothing more than items to be bought and sold at will.

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Obi-Wan said with a small nod. "But that's not how it works out. Slavers tend not to be the brightest lot in existence. They seem to think that just being Force Sensitive means that a Being is automatically able to do anything that a Jedi could. They don't realize that, like any skill, it takes a great deal of training. As a nine-year-old, I had been taught only the basics."

Qui-Gon swallowed with some difficulty. "And as such, you likely would have been beaten to death for 'disobedience' when you were not able to do the things they commanded you to."

"Exactly," Obi-Wan concurred. "But as they didn't know I had belonged to the Jedi, they sold me as a normal human slave."

Anakin giggled softly at that. "Yeah. Like any of us Skywalkers are 'normal'."

Obi-Wan chuckled in agreement. "Too true, little brother. Too true."

Shmi nodded her agreement along with her sons as she continued working in the kitchen.

"Anyway," Obi-Wan continued, "while on the slave transport, I was utterly terrified." The blunt admission surprised Qui-Gon as coming from both a teenage boy and someone who spent their early years in a Jedi Creche. "I didn't know what was going on or what to expect. Then Mom found me."

Obi-Wan turned to smile lovingly at his mother. The woman in question paused in her work long enough to approach the couch and kiss the son's head before returning to her cooking.

"She took me in, made sure I knew how to behave and stay as safe as possible. We were traded to different ships a few times. By the time we reached the sale's block, nobody suspected that we were not mother and son by blood. I have been Obi Skywalker, slave boy and son of Shmi Skywalker, ever since."

Obi-Wan looked down at Anakin, who was starting to wriggle impatiently on his lap. He chuckled and murmured, "Alright, Ani, alright. We'll get to your part."

"We were purchased by Gardulla the Hutt and brought to her Compound here on Tatooine, where Ani was born." Anakin nodded proudly, seeming utterly pleased to be brought into the story, even if only by birth. "Three years later, we were sold to Watto to fill a gambling debt. And here we are." Obi-Wan finished his tale with a casual sort of shrug, as if he'd been relating his day of schooling rather than a life story filled with abandonment and slavery.

Qui-Gon couldn't quite bring himself to look up at the others in the room. "I know that it makes little difference now, Obi-Wan, but I am deeply sorry for my action toward you all those years ago. I was a grown man taking his frustrations out on an innocent child, and that was inexcusable."

He glanced up as Obi-Wan made a thoughtful sound. "That is something that has always escaped me," he said thoughtfully. "Why were you so angry with me that day? I had never even spoken to you before, and only seen you in passing in the Temple halls or classes. What had I done to anger you so badly?"

Qui-Gon slumped his shoulders in shame. "You had done nothing, young one. Yoda had been repeatedly telling me that I needed to take a new Padawan, and insisted that you were meant to be that student."

"And you didn't want an apprentice," Obi-Wan stated more than asked.

Qui-Gon nodded slowly. "No, I did not. After my first Padawan, Xanatos, left the Order and fell to the Dark, I feared that any student I took would succumb to the same fate. I had convinced myself that you were showing signs of Darkness, and I willfully blamed you for that fight without even asking what the true story was. It wasn't until months later that I was told the truth of that day. My closest friend, Tahl, took your friend Bant as her apprentice, and the child was all to willing to tell me just what I had done wrong."

"You were stupid," Anakin stated bluntly. It was a testament to how much Shmi disliked Qui-Gon that she didn't scold her younger son for being rude. "You thought that just because that Yoda guy wanted you to train Obi, that made him bad, so you didn't want anyone else to train him either." The blond child shook his head and snuggled closer to his brother's chest.

Hearing his reasoning spelled out like that from a small child made Qui-Gon feel distinctly embarrassed. His face heated up as Anakin continued, "You didn't deserve him anyway." Anakin reached out and grabbed Obi-Wan's hand, twining his fingers with the much longer ones. "Me and Mom deserve him, and he deserves us. We're a family."

"That we are, Anakin," Obi-Wan agreed softly. "Now and always."

"Always and ever." Anakin finished the phrase with the air of a child reciting a much-loved nursery rhyme, and Obi-Wan gave the same sentiment.

Padme clearly had the same thought, but unlike Qui-Gon, she seemed to find it endearing. She smiled softly at the brothers' show of affection. Of course, that was nearly all that the little family had shown. Love and devotion showed in the their actions as well as saturating their Force presences.

Obi-Wan was very much Attached. Qui-Gon was determined to bring him home, but he needed to face facts. It was going to be quite difficult. Obi-Wan had become accustomed to a life where love and easy affection were as comfortable as breathing. Re-acclimating him to the Jedi Order was going to be no easy feat.

A/N **Ta-da! What did you think? I played an awful lot with Obi-Wan's life story, and Qui-Gon kind of comes across as a bad guy. Qui-Gon feels truly sorry for what he did to Obi-Wan, and he legitimately believes his plan is what is best for him. Next chapter will be returning to the events of** _ **Phantom Menace**_ **and finishing this story up. Until then, Live Long and Prosper.**

 **No, wait,** **sorry,** **wrong franchise.**

 **May the Force be with you.**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N **Hello! Welcome to the final chapter of A Certain Point of View. Sorry this is late. I'd hoped to get this up last week, but I was hit with a truly ridiculous amount of homework. But it's here now. I hope you all have enjoyed this story.**

 **Disclaimer: It should be clear by now that I do not own Star Wars.**

 _Re-acclimating him to the Jedi Order was going to be no easy feat._

Despite their dislike of the Jedi Master, the Skywalker family was more than happy to offer their assistance to Padme. Anakin especially offered his support with such enthusiasm that it made his brother laugh and mutter something in his ear that made the younger boy's face turn red. The young queen had tactfully ignored the brotherly teasing, simply smiling and asking what they were thinking of.

"I could do the Boonta Race!" Anakin suggested. Shmi's face paled a bit at that suggestion, and Obi-Wan didn't look much better, though he placed a comforting hand on his mother's shoulder.

"Boonta Race?" Padme repeated, looking distinctly alarmed at the elder Skywalkers' reactions to their youngest's suggestion.

"Pod Racing," Obi-Wan informed her reluctantly, making Qui-Gon blink in surprise. "Watto used to enter me in the Races when I was younger. I placed third a few timed and second once. About a year ago, Watto decided that I'd gotten too big and was slowing the Pod down, so he switched to Ani."

Qui-Gon frowned thoughtfully. He could understand Obi-Wan's being able to survive Pod Racing, what with his Force ability, but Anakin? Perhaps there was more than just one Force user in the family.

"I hate you two being in those races," Shmi was protesting. "Beings die in every race, and Boonta Eve is the worst! I die every time Watto makes one of you enter."

"But Mom, I love it," Anakin protested. "A lot more than Obi did," he added. "I've never even thrown up."

Obi-Wan sighed at what seemed like an old argument. "Honestly, Anakin, I did not throw up due to motion sickness. It was the concussion."

Shmi's face tightened at the reminder, and she pulled Obi-Wan closer to her until his head rested on her shoulder.

"Your not helping, Obi-Wan," Anakin hissed at his older brother.

The redhead shrugged as he wrapped his arms around their mother. "I wasn't trying to. I hate you being in the Pod Races too, Anakin. You forget that I spent years being entered in those blasted things. Do you think I like watching you do something that has broken nearly half the bones in my body at one point or another?" He squeezed his mother apologetically as she flinched at the reminder. "You've only been in four races so far, and you have already broken your arm and your collar bone, and there is never any guarantee that Watto will be willing to pay for Bacta Treatments."

Padme looked faintly nauseated as she took in Obi-Wan's words. "There's no reason for you to risk your life for us, Anakin. Our mission isn't yours."

"But I can help!" Anakin argued. "And that means I should. Isn't that what you tell us, Mom? That the biggest problem in this Galaxy is that no-one helps each other? And that Obi-Wan and I should always do what we can when we get the chance?"

Shmi closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. Obi-Wan, looking equally as upset, looked at her. "He has a point, Mom," he admitted unwillingly. "I don't like it, but Ani is their only chance. It's important that you get to where you're going, isn't it?" he asked their guests.

Padme looked like she wanted to argue, but couldn't find the words. Qui-Gon spoke up instead. "Yes, it is. Countless people could die if we do not complete our mission."

Padme gave the man an angry look, which he ignored. It was a good thing she didn't realize that he already knew her secret. As such, there was little she could do to stop him from pulling rank on her.

Shmi sighed, "Very well." Qui-Gon felt a faint stirring of guilt as he saw the defeated expression on her face. It must be a terrible feeling, to be a mother unable to protect your children.

The woman, keeping one arm around Obi-Wan, reached over to pull Anakin onto her lap. Seeming to relax at the feeling of both her children safe in her arms, the woman nodded. "Anakin will help you. I suppose, he was meant to help you. I may not feel the Force like my sons do, but I can tell when it's time to stop fighting it."

SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW

The next day was a flurry of activity as the Skywalker brothers worked to get Anakin's homemade Pod in working order, Qui-Gon pitched in where he could, and Padme worked to keep Jar Jar from accidentally killing himself or anyone else.

"You should be proud of your sons," Qui-Gon told Shmi as they watched Anakin and Obi-Wan work. "They give with no thought of reward."  
"They know nothing of greed," Shmi answered, her tone neutral. "They deserve better than lives of slavery, but that is what they were given. It is just the way of things."

"They are special," Qui-Gon remarked. He knew she was aware of the boys' Force sensitivity. "I suppose Obi-Wan trained Anakin in the Way of the Force?"

"As much as he could," Shmi replied with a shrug. "Apparently Ani is quite strong. Even Obi, with as little training as he had, could tell that much. He taught his brother as much as he knew, and the rest they have figured out on their own. Obi and Ani have had a special bond ever since the day Ani was born. They can do wonderful things together, my sons." Qui-Gon could hear the pride in the mother's voice as she spoke.

"Anakin is indeed quite powerful," Qui-Gon agreed, shying away slightly from the topic of Obi-Wan's Attachments. "If you don't mind me asking, who was his father?"

Shmi's face went carefully blank. "I do not wish to talk about it, Master Jedi," she replied stiffly.

Qui-Gon nodded and backed off, taking the hint. "My apologies, Madame. I did not mean to bring up painful memories."

Shmi gave him a curt nod and turned to call her sons in for midday meal. Qui-Gon did not approach her again.

SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW

That night, Qui-Gon chatted with Anakin as he cleaned a cut on the boy's arm. Anakin was still wary of him, but his childish curiosity kept him talking and asking questions. This worked well for the Jedi, as he managed to sneak a sample of Anakin's blood to check his midi-chlorian levels. He would have to return to the ship in order to run the test, but he would be able to do that before the race the next morning.

As Anakin was called to bed by his mother, Qui-Gon safely stashed the blood sample in his robe pocket. As he looked up, he saw Obi-Wan watching him from the doorway, his face and Force Presence unreadable. The teenager eyed the Jedi with narrowed blue eyes for a few moments before following his mother and brother inside and closing the door.

Qui-Gon couldn't help but feel like Obi-Wan trying to tell him something with that action.

SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW

The next day dawned as bright as all Tatooine mornings, the twin suns seeming to bake the sands almost instantly. Qui-Gon regarded the two slave boys as he pulled himself up onto his rented eopie. He'd run Anakin's midi-chlorian levels, and the results had been astounding. He knew now that he needed to take both boys back to the Temple with him. With levels that high, Anakin could easily be the prophesied Chosen One, the being to bring Balance back to the Force. And if that were indeed the case, the boy needed to be trained, and he needed to start as soon as possible.

Once they arrived at the Pod Race track, Qui-Gon set out to find Watto. The Toydarian was at the betting counter, placing a bet on the current favorite, Sebulba.

"You don't believe that Anakin will win?" he asked the being mildly.

"Eh," Watto shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I have got great faith in the little boy, but he's not quite up to his brother's standard yet, and Obi never managed to win first."

"Besides," he continued, a sly look on his face, "I'll already get the winnings if my little boy wins the race, so why not add a few others, huh?"

"Then, I don't suppose you would like to make this a little more interesting?" Qui-Gon baited. "If Anakin wins, I get him and Obi-Wan."

Watto snorted derisively. "Not going to happen."

"Just the younger one then," Qui-Gon amended, fighting back his guilt at once again abandoning Obi-Wan.

"No deal!" Watto spat at him. "My boy already told me about your tricks, _Jedi!_ Obi-Wan realized that you were playing us, and came to warn me not to make any more bets with you! I can't take back the ones I already made, but I'm not losing anything else to you!" Watto shook his head at the human and flew away, muttering to himself about cheating Jedi.

Qui-Gon was shocked. Obi-Wan had told Watto about him? Why the kriff would he do that?!

Silently stewing, Qui-Gon made his way back to where the Skywalkers and Padme were waiting for the start of the race. Padme was talking to Anakin, whose eyes were shining with excitement; and Shmi, who was clinging to her youngest son's shoulders like it would cause her physical pain when she finally had to let go.

Obi-Wan wasn't with them. Scanning the area, Qui-Gon caught sight of the young man standing next his brother's Pod, apparently keeping watch over it.

"What are you trying to do!" Qui-Gon demanded as he approached the boy.

Obi-Wan raised a ginger colored brow at him. "I'm guarding Anakin's Pod," he replied calmly. "Cheating and sabotage are time-honored traditions in Pod Racing."

"I mean, what were you doing when you told Watto that I was a Jedi?" Qui-Gon had to force himself to keep his voice quiet.

"I saw the look on your face when you were talking to Anakin last night," Obi-Wan replied. His voice remained level as he spoke to the irate Jedi. "And I saw you steal a sample of his blood. I know you were going to try to buy my little brother, and I wasn't about to let that happen."

"You mean free him," Qui-Gon corrected haughty.

"No, I mean buy him," Obi-Wan repeated. "You want him as your own, as property of the Jedi. I saw the moment when you decided that you wanted Ani more than you wanted me, when you realized he would be worth more to you. I won't let you have him any more than I was going to let you take me."

"The Jedi don't own anyone!" Qui-Gon snapped. "We are peacekeepers, not slavers."

Obi-Wan shook his head sadly. "The Jedi are blind to their own station. You are just as much of a slave as I am, the only difference is that my Master is honest about it. You may not have explosives in your body, but you are trapped by the fact that you have nowhere else to go. You are forbidden to cultivate meaningful relationships, or finding new ways to live. They control you by keeping you reliant upon them, and they don't even realize it themselves."

Qui-Gon remained silent, shocked by the accusations being thrown at him by the former Initiate. It was clear that he believed every word he was saying.

Obi-Wan continued. "My life may not be ideal, but at least I have my family. I can love my mother and my brother, and allow them to love me in return. I have the possibility of freedom, for myself and for my family. We will gain it one day, I am certain of that. And then, perhaps I will fall in love and marry. I hope to be a husband and father one day, and spend my life surrounded by 'Attachments'. As one of the Jedi, these things would be forbidden to me."

"I am more free now than a Jedi could ever achieve. And my brother and I are not going to give that up." With that final statement, Obi-Wan turned to watch Anakin approach. He smiled at his brother, helping him up into the Pod and whispering a few last minute words of advice.

Qui-Gon watched silently. There wasn't anymore to say.

SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW SW

Anakin won the race, the first human ever to do so. As such, he'd also broken the record previously held by Obi-Wan, a fact that the younger brother was infinitely proud of.

Obi-Wan couldn't care less about a record. He was just glad his little brother made it out in one piece.

He was also glad that Qui-Gon Jinn had gotten what he needed so that he could leave. Obi-Wan didn't bear a grudge against the Jedi, but he had been getting really tired of the man's self-righteous attitude and attempts to break apart Obi-Wan's family. Frankly, he was glad to see the back of the man.

He was sad to see Padme and Artoo leave, though. He knew Anakin felt the same, judging how the younger boy had climbed into his bed with him rather than sleep in his own on the other side of their small room.

 _Oh, well,_ Obi-Wan thought, tucking the sleeping Anakin's head comfortably under his chin. _That is just the way of things._

He pressed his face into soft blond hair and closed his eyes. It had been a busy few days, and he needed his sleep.

After all, there would be work to get done tomorrow.

A/N **Well, there you go. My first completed story. Did you like it?**

 **BUT HEY! If you enjoyed this story, let me know. I have ideas for a prequel and a sequel (Star Wars Style, baby ;P ). So if people are interested in reading those, I'd be willing to write them.**

 **Just so you know, the prequel would be about Obi-Wan's journey from the Jedi to being Shmi's son, and would fill in all of those blanks** **up to meeting Qui-Gon again** **. The sequel is about them gaining their freedom and includes Cliegg Lars and Owen. If your interested, let me know in a ..,**

 **REVIEW! (or PM, I suppose. Either works.)**


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